


Like a Nightmare Upon Waking

by Strangexunusual



Category: Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Bonding, Comfort, Dead People, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Fear, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Night Terrors, Nightmares, One Shot, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strangexunusual/pseuds/Strangexunusual
Summary: Lydia awakens from a nightmare and the Maitlands comfort her.
Relationships: Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland, Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland, Lydia Deetz & Barbara Maitland
Kudos: 5





	Like a Nightmare Upon Waking

Lydia awoke in a cold sweat, shooting up in bed as she let out an ear-piercing scream. 

“Adam! Barbara!”

The Maitlands rushed into Lydia’s bedroom as quickly as they possibly could, equal looks of panic and worry for the teenager flashed across their faces. Looking in her direction, the two ghosts found her to be out of bed and sitting with her head in her hands, shaking and breathing heavily at a constant rate, sweating a little, her eyes darting back and forth until they eventually landed on the Maitlands.

“Is everything okay?” asked Barbara, worried stiff. Lydia shook her head.

Barbara moved to sit on Lydia’s bed, a few feet from the teenager, reaching out a hand and gently moving a few loose strands of hair out of Lydia’s eyes. Lydia kept her eyes focused on the rug set beside her bed, then looked up at Barbara with a shaky look in her eyes. A gentle smile crossed the female ghost’s face as she wiped a few tears that had formed around Lydia’s eyes, managing to calm her down just a little. 

“Nightmare,” guessed Barbara.

“Yeah...” Lydia’s voice trailed off as she fell silent, looking down towards the carpeted floor of her bedroom.

“Want to talk about it?”

Lydia became hesitant, curling in on herself. The nightmare that she had had, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about it quite yet.

“Lydia, it’s okay,” soothed Barbara, reaching out and running a hand through Lydia’s hair.

Lydia was calmer, but still a little disquiet, again looking back up towards a waiting Barbara as she thought up how to phrase her words. “I...I- uh....” she trailed off before she could get any more words out, starting to hyperventilate.

“Try to stay calm, Lydia,” Barbara urged, noting the early signs of a panic attack as per what Delia had told her a few weeks prior.

Lydia nodded as Adam and Barbara moved to sit behind her, the former of the two ghosts placing his hands on the teenager’s back and whispering words of comfort and the latter running her right hand through Lydia’s hair as she calmed the panicky teen down. Eventually, Lydia was calm enough to talk to the Maitlands about her nightmare and the two ghosts moved to sit down on her bed in front of her as she again formulated the right words to say.

“I... I had a nightmare about Betelgeuse, the Netherworld, my dead mom....” Lydia yet again trailed off, struggling to figure out what else to say.

“What happened?” Barbara questioned curiously, resting her right hand underneath Lydia’s chin and causing her to look up at her and Adam, a timid look in her eyes that quickly turned to a look of reluctance.

“Well... it started with Betelgeuse,” Lydia said, her voice sounding a little meek as she looked off to the side then returned her attention back to the Maitlands. “He was in my place and I was in his, and he had in his hand the exact same piece of bad art that I had used to murder him. He brought it down on me and then I suddenly found myself in the Netherworld.”

“And I don’t suppose this is where your dead mom comes in?” Barbara guessed, a knowing smile on her face.

“Yeah...” affirmed Lydia, nodding a few times. “Though it was brief. She said a few words to me and then I was swallowed up by this ever growing black light. That’s when I awoke.”

Barbara nodded as well, sharing a knowing glance with Adam before the two ghosts turned their attention back over towards Lydia; who was slowly drifting back into sleep. Barbara and Adam stood up from Lydia’s bed, allowing Lydia to lay down as Barbara used her powers to cover up the sleepy teenager with her blankets.

“You want us to stay in here with you?” asked Barbara quietly, but still loud enough for the teen to hear her. “At least until you fall asleep?”

Lydia sat upright in bed again, an inquisitive look in her eyes as she thought up an answer to the ghost’s question. Eventually, she slowly nodded in response, adding, “Sure. Of course you can. I don’t mind.” 

The Maitlands nodded as well; Adam moving to sit on a plush black chair in one of the corners of Lydia’s bedroom and Barbara again sitting on Lydia’s bed, extending out a hand and running it through Lydia’s hair as the teen fell right back asleep. 

Eventually, both Maitlands, despite not needing any sleep at all, drifted off as well, soft, warm, and small smiles on their faces.


End file.
